It’s always a treat and blessing to do work for Highlights and High Five magazine! This “That’s Silly!” spread is for the June 2020 issue, and features a splash park full of kids keeping cool—along with unusual and “silly things. See if you can find the “sillies” yourself! Below are close-ups of the illustration to make it easier to see. Have fun and have a happy, cool, safe summer! And be sure and check out High Five and Highlights magazines and books. They care about your kids and do a wonderful job of making it fun to learn—or just plain have fun!
Something New! "It's An Animal News Flash!" Spot Illustrations/Cartoons!
I created a few spot illustration/cartoons for the May 2020 issue of Owl Magazine’s “Incredible!” section, which is always so fun—and so informative! Presently, we’re living with the consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic and they aren’t sending sample copies at this time, so I have the spots mocked up in the spread. Sometimes the final changes a little, and certainly the designer makes it more sharp, clean, & clear, so thank you for overlooking these flaws on my samples!. : )
(c) Owl Magazine/Paula J. Becker 2020
Something New! Magazine Puzzle Spread: "Drive-And-Go-Seek" ("I Spy")
Here’s a VERY busy 3-page illustration spread I did for a magazine, in which kids are to identify numbers of cars & trucks from the poem (by Stacy Lane) and find them in the picture. I hope they enjoy doing that as much as I enjoyed creating the puzzle! Sample photos are below.
(c) Click Magazine/Paula J. Becker 2020
Something New! Whooping Crane Spot Cartoons!
I had such fun drawing these Whooping Crane illustration/cartoons (below) for this article to educate kids about this amazing bird! I love birds and birding so getting the opportunity to come up with something humorous to accompany this article was really special for me. Please get the magazine (OWL magazine, April 2020 issue) and learn about Whoopers and more!
(c) Owl Magazine/Paula J. Becker 2020
Something New! Highlights Hidden Picture (The Corona Virus 2019 Edition)
Highlights is really one of the best companies to freelance for, I have always said! Things have changed a lot over this past decade, but they never cease to appreciate their illustrators! So with this odd time of the world shutting down and sheltering because of a very-bad-no-good virus, they have found ways to be relevant, helpful, and continue to educate and amuse kids! I am grateful and honored to be one of many illustrators commissioned to do a special HP to reflect the this period of time. These Hidden Picture illustrations were published on social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, where kids and adults alike can find the hidden objects, and maybe even identify with the scene. I know I do! My contribution is below, including some closeups. Thank you, Highlights, for all you do!
(c) Highlights For Children/Paula J. Becker 2020
Something New! "Wacky Wetland Tours" Puzzle Maze
It was really fun to work on this Maze/Puzzle spread for the spring 2020 issue of Chickadee magazine! Samples are below. Check out Owlkids other magazines and books! Your kids will learn a lot and have fun at the same time!
(c) Owlkids/Chickadee Magazine/Paula J. Becker 2020
Something New! "Officer Dog" Graphic Story/Comic!
I illustrated this simple graphic story/panel comic was for High Five magazine, a really super magazine for little kids. It was so fun to work on and interpret the story and characters.
Please check out High Five magazine for your kids! There are things to learn and do, besides entertaining stories and silly stuff/jokes!
Something New! Owl Magazine Spots for "Incredible! Style Stories"
I love illustrating spots like these! And I learn so much each time! (Samples, below) Check out Owlkids and their magazines and books for your kids. They’ll learn so much and have a fun at the same time!
Something New! "Critter Clinic" Puzzle Spread
Here’s a really fun puzzle spread I did for Bayard/Owlkids and one of their magazines. This spread was for Chirp’s Jan/Feb 2020 issue. It was such a fun illustration to work on! Below are some samples and closeups. Thanks for stopping by!
Something New! Chirp Puzzle: "Fall Fun"
Here’s something for the fall issue of Chirp magazine—an illustration puzzle, with the scene at a pumpkin patch, complete with a maze and other fun things to do! Kids will have a good time with this, I am sure, finding pumpkins, black cats and spiders! Such a fun project to work on and pull together. Thank you, Owl!
Something New! High Five Halloween Spread!
I was so excited when I finally saw how this illustration spread I did for High Five magazine turned out in print! It’s a “That’s Silly!” for the October 2019 issue. I had a blast working with the art director with the layout and coming up with all the “sillies”. I did a mix of some line and a more painterly style, as well as textures. A bit different than my line work. I hope the kids enjoy finding all the silly things as much as I did drawing them! Thanks, Highlights/High Five!
I love how these were isolated!
Something New! Valentine's Spread Illustration
This was an illustration created for a kids’ magazine this last year. It just recently got my complimentary copy so posting a bit late, as you can see! But what a fun piece to work on! This was memorable to me because I worked on the colorizing while watching game 3 of the 2018 World Series. That game was 7 1/2 hours long, and I got a lot of work done! The Dodgers eventually eked out a win against the RedSox (3-2), but went on the lose the series to them. Second year to lose in a row. Poor Dodgers. But what fun to work on this piece while watching!
Something New! Highlights Puzzle--Check-Double-Check
It’s always a treat and privilege to do some work for the amazing Highlights magazine! I was given the task of doing a puzzle depicting a bicycle race across the African Savanna—with animals bicycling, of course! I had such a fun time illustrating these cute characters! Then I made subtle changes to the same illustration, which is the fun part—to find the differences! See if you can, too, if you will!
Something New! How-to-Play Soccer Illustration Spread and Spots!
It was so fun (and educational to boot!) to work on this spread for Ask Magazine! I am not a soccer player nor fan, so I learned something myself doing this! I hope others learn, too!
4th of July '19 -- A Marching Band!
Sometimes it’s fun to play with old images. I experimented with a washy, watercolor style a number of years ago. I still like many of the pieces I did. This one seemed fitting for an Independence Day illustration, so I made it into a pattern. Happy 4th of July, everybody!
Canada Day 2019
A little spot illustration for Canada Day…
Something New! Dragon Boat Race Illustration
I created this illustration for “A Boat Race” for Chirp magazine June ‘19 issue. This fun magazine spread is both informative AND fun! There are several puzzles and games to play as you learn (Kids as well as adults!) I went with line art for this, since I had to get 20 people in each boat—plus the people on the side watching and waving for their favorite dragon boat! See if you can solve the puzzles!
Something New! Magazine Spread: Kids' Orchestra
Something new for Click magazine’s March 2019 “Music” issue—A full-blown kids orchestra. I played the trombone myself so it was fun to revisit drawing trombones, as well as other instruments. I hope the kids learn a lot from this article, and find they want to learn to play an instrument themselves! Images from the spread are below.
Magazine Spots: "Smart Like a Pig!"
I had a fun time drawing pigs doing fun stuff to enhance this article on…well—Pigs, of course! Very informative and a fun read for kids to learn about them. So below is a spread with the spots, and then the spots isolated.
Magazine Spread: "Winter Fact or Fiction?"
Below is a really fun maze I did for Owl magazine, winter issue, illustrated in a more of painterly style than using more line.
